


one by one, we come home

by ericaismeg, foxerica (ericaismeg)



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alive Laura Hale, Derek Hale is a Softie, Fluff, Friendship, Implied/Referenced Depression, M/M, Rebuilt Hale House, Tea, rebuilding relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-04
Updated: 2018-11-04
Packaged: 2019-08-17 12:10:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,373
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16516226
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ericaismeg/pseuds/ericaismeg, https://archiveofourown.org/users/ericaismeg/pseuds/foxerica
Summary: Six years ago, Scott kicked Derek out of the pack for a stupid reason. Derek's had six years to make his peace with it, but after he bumps into Kira at the grocery store, his quiet life isn't the same.(Basically, a fic where everyone loves Derek.)





	one by one, we come home

**Author's Note:**

  * For [The_Muse](https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Muse/gifts).



> This is gifted to The_Muse because 20 days ago they commented on one of my old fics that was heavy in Derek/Kira friendship. They wrote, "And the best thing ever. Derek and Kira becoming best friends is the best thing here. I mean I loved the sterek here and the malira here but Derek and Kira bonding is the best" on [leave the lights on](https://archiveofourown.org/works/4664724/comments/188984921).
> 
> And you know what? I read that comment and was like, "Derek and Kira bonding _is_ the best and there should be more of it."

Derek stands in front of the peppers in the grocery store running through a list of meals he wants to make for the week. He probably only needs two red peppers and three green peppers, and if he doesn’t use them all, he can cut them up to snack on between editing his stack of manuscripts. Derek carefully puts the peppers into the plastic bags and sticks them in his cart.

As he moves through the grocery store, he’s careful to pick up things that he knows he’ll eat. A few weeks ago, he got ambitious and ended up wasting too much produce when he didn’t follow through.

“Hale,” a familiar voice comes from behind him while he scans the shelf for soup.

“Kira,” Derek says, his voice warm. He’d been close to Kira once, years ago. He’d been close to a lot of people back then. She looks the same, and maybe just a little older.

“How are you?” Kira asks. Her eyes scan him as if she’s searching for something wrong. He can’t blame her. How many times had they ended up covered in blood together? Too many.

Derek shrugs and turns his attention back to the soup. He tosses in some broth and a few cans of chicken noodle. It reminds him of when Stiles would get sick and beg for Derek to bring him over some hot chicken noodle soup. He’d complain that there wasn’t enough chicken, so Derek started to make his own. These days, he doesn’t have an excuse to make his own soup. “I’ve been alright. Getting by. Working a lot. How about you? How’s...”

As he drops a can of soup into his cart, Derek cringes. He should  _not_  go there. Things had been made very clear by the pack that if he left, he would never be able to go back.

“I’m good,” Kira says, but her voice is tight. He looks at her now and sees that she isn’t paying him any attention. She fiddles with her phone in her hands before quietly saying, “Things have been... better.”

Derek’s heart drops. “Is everyone--”

“They’re okay,” Kira murmurs. She glances around before adding, “I’m not sure I am.”

Derek isn’t sure if he’s lonely or stupid, but he says, “You can always swing by my place if you need someone to talk to.”

Kira lifts her head, eyes shining with unshed tears. “You mean that? After everything?”

“Of course,” Derek answers.  _You’re pack. You’ll always be pack._  He leaves the words unspoken. Things may have ended poorly between him and the others, but Derek’s always liked Kira. For someone so tiny, she’s certainly fierce. He wouldn’t want to go up against her in a battle. “You know where I live.”

“You still have the loft?” Kira asks.

“Oh!” Derek gives her a half smile. He shakes his head. “Actually, I’m at the infamous Hale House. Cora and Laura helped me rebuild it.”

Kira tilts her head, but she doesn’t comment that it’s a very large house for one person. Instead, she reaches out and puts her palm on his arm. “I’m probably going to take you up on that offer, Hale.”

“I hope you do.” Derek steps forward to wrap his arms around her. He’s never been good at showing affection or knowing what to do to comfort someone if they’re upset, but the hug just feels right. Kira squeezes her arms around him and he doesn’t pull back until she lets go. “It was nice seeing you, Kira.”

“You too, Derek.”

He continues shopping, but this time, he adds some  _Ben and Jerry’s_  to his cart. If he remembers correctly, it used to be Kira’s favourite. And it looks like she might need it.

Derek catches himself humming while he puts his groceries into the back of his Camaro. It’d be nice to catch up with an old friend, that’s all. He’s not entirely sure he could even count Kira as an old friend; they had been pack, but they hadn’t really had a relationship of their own. Still. He hopes she stops by.

 

 **☆** **☾** **☆**  

 

Derek’s brain feels like it might explode if he must read another crappy love scene by this author. Of course, the author’s books  _sell_ which is why they’re making it into the editing process. But the sex scenes that are supposed to be so scandalous and risqué are drier than the desert. And so poorly written.

He comments  _yet again_  about how writing the male character’s dick as ‘his thing’ is not good writing.

Derek isn’t entirely sure how he ended up in the world of book publishing, but the office he works for lets him ghost edit so he can work remotely. He goes into the office maybe once or twice a week for meetings, and he likes his boss a fair amount. 

His boss originally hired Derek to be a Line Editor, but he would also leave comments about things that didn’t make sense, didn’t flow well, or other things that weren’t caught by the editors before him. So now, his title is Substantive and Line Editor. He likes being able to comb through a manuscript to identify and solve issues, offer suggestions, and help improve works. The crappy sex scenes aside, it’s nice to be able to offer input as well as line editing a work.

It pays well, and he enjoys it.

Usually.

But he needs a break. The knock on his front door comes at the perfect time, so Derek jolts out of his chair. He’s a mix of surprised and relieved that Kira decided to swing by. When Derek opens the door, Kira darts forward and hugs him tightly.

“Oof.” Derek wraps his arms around her slowly. “Hey, what’s going on?”

Kira buries her face into his chest. She heaves. Then she starts  _sobbing._  Derek has no idea what the hell he’s supposed to do now. He manages to lead her into the house, shut the door, and bring her over to the couch in the living room. Kira’s sobs don’t stop coming, and he’s pretty sure they get even louder.

He wraps a blanket around her shoulders. Cora used to do that when she’d get upset. And Laura likes tea when she’s in a mood. Derek rushes into the kitchen, puts a tea kettle on the stove top, and then comes back into see Kira.

She looks so tiny, bundled up in the blanket, clinging to it. Derek sits down on the couch beside her and pulls her in close. His sisters don’t like to be touched when they’re upset, but Kira had immediately gone in for a hug, so he figures it’s okay with her.

Kira adjusts herself so she’s leaning into him. Eventually, her sobs turn into quiet tears and sniffs. “I’m sorry, Derek. I--I didn’t mean to...”

“Hey, it’s okay,” Derek answers. He rubs his hand up and down her arm gently. “You’re okay.”

The kettle starts to whistle so Kira sits upright. She wipes her eyes while Derek gets up. He pours them some tea and brings it back into the living room a few minutes later.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” Kira whispers. “Things are  _fine._  Things are actually quiet.”

Derek nods, watching her carefully. She seems to be in her own little world now, whispering. He doesn’t want to interrupt, so he listens.

“Everything was so messed up for a while. And I mean, we were fighting so much. You were there, and then you weren’t. I don’t think it was Scott who banished you. I mean, obviously, it was. But I don’t think he was really himself,” Kira tells him. “There was so much going on and... and I know he misses you. He’ll never admit it, but he does. The whole pack does. And you’re close enough that your scent lingers in places.”

Derek knows the feeling. He smells the pack often enough that he hates going into town. He doesn’t mind staying in his house and running through his woods, because the pack isn’t  _here._  Derek has a routine. He likes his routine. He does.

Except it’d be nice if Cora and Laura visited more. They moved out of Beacon Hills and back to New York. They’re having the time of their lives. Cora is working with an animal rescue center and Laura is killing it in the corporate world. They text and call frequently to check on their recluse brother, but it’s not the same as having them around.

“Things are just...quiet right now. I can’t remember the last time it was this quiet,” Kira murmurs. Derek focuses back on her. “We finally managed to kill this Alpha that was just... horrendous.”

Derek knows. He wanted to reach out to the pack to let them know exactly who they were dealing with, but he hadn’t texted or called. He left Stiles a little note on his window though, and that was the extent he allowed himself to be involved.

“And I think once we showed we were strong enough to bring down  _him,_  things fear us. So, they’re staying away. Probably regrouping or something.” Kira sniffs.

“It’s easy to brush things aside when you don’t have time to stop and absorb things,” Derek tells her. “But now that it’s quiet? Everything you’ve been ignoring is catching up with you.”

Kira nods. “That’s exactly it. And I don’t know if I’m strong enough to handle everything.”

Derek pulls her in close to him and sits his chin on the top of her head. He closes his eyes. They might not have been close back then, but Derek knows he’d do anything to protect Kira. He just can’t protect her from her own nightmares. He gives her a quick kiss on her forehead and then pulls her in again.

“Tell me everything.”

Listening is the least he can do.

 

 **☆** **☾** **☆**  

 

Derek has no idea how exactly Kira--or the rest of the pack, for that matter--have been able to keep going. She caught him up on all the things he missed in the last six years. And it’s  _a lot._  It seems like they had another Big Bad every time they turned around. He had been aware of some of them and had helped in his limited way, but they had dealt with more than he could’ve handled.

That’s why Derek had been kicked out of the pack to begin with. Derek had needed a break. He’d needed to get away. And Scott hadn’t understood. He’d claimed that Derek was running away, was being a coward, was...was abandoning them. Scott had been so angry, and Derek hadn’t been able to argue. Hadn’t Scott been right?

He’s still not sure. But having Kira come around on a regular basis has been really nice. He doesn’t tell anyone though, and he’s pretty sure Kira doesn’t either. Derek likes that she’s comfortable enough to walk into his house without knocking. He even likes when he comes back from a meeting with his boss to find her sprawled out on his couch, eating some chips, watching Netflix.

Kira fits in his life.

It’s been like this for two months and Derek’s afraid it’ll end suddenly, and he’ll be alone again. He doesn’t know how to express that to Kira, or if he even should. He simply joins her on the couch and realizes what she’s watching.

“Did you watch without me?” Derek demands indignantly.

“Yes!” Kira admits as if he had to wrangle it out of her. She’s far too honest for her own good sometimes. “Your meeting took  _forever._  And I couldn’t find anything else to watch.”

“It’s Netflix! It has like, endless possibilities of things to watch!” Derek protests. He leans forward and steals the bag of chips from her. “And you shouldn’t be eating so much junk food.”

“Hey!”

“This is the third bag  _this_  week,” Derek points out. He stands up again. “I’m going to cut up some fruit.”

“Alright,  _fine._  And I’m sorry I watched ahead. We can go back and pick up where we left off,” Kira tells him.

“Damn straight, we’re going back to where we left off,” Derek calls over his shoulder. He cuts up some fruit, putting them into two different bowls. He pulls out some yogurt and mixes it in. Adds a little maple syrup on top because he knows Kira will like that. Then he prepares a plate full of crackers with peanut butter and cheese.

When he joins her on the couch again, he sets out their new treats on the coffee table, and she hits play on the last episode they watched together. Derek glances at her, a smile crossing his lips because Kira manages to surprise him every day.

“Ooh, maple syrup,” Kira says, her eyes shining brightly. “You must really love me.”

“I do,” Derek says easily. He tenses for a moment, because  _what._

“I love you too,” Kira answers. Her eyes on the screen, and she doesn’t seem fazed by it at all so Derek continues to spoon up his fruit and yogurt as if his entire world didn’t just change.

 

 **☆** **☾** **☆**  

 

“I have to know,” Kira says as she walks in through the front door. Derek looks up from his laptop. She has three different bags of food with her; she’d offered to go grocery shopping on her way over, so he’d given her a list. A quick sniff and he knows she forgot the peppers. It’s fine, they’ll make do. “What the hell happened between you and Stiles?”

Derek freezes. Kira doesn’t seem to notice, or if she does, she doesn’t seem to care. She drops the bags onto the kitchen table and starts putting things away. It probably should freak Derek out that she knows his kitchen so well, but he’s too busy panicking about how to explain the situation with Stiles to Kira.

“Look,” Kira says, her back to him. “You don’t have to tell me. But the thing is, well, we’ve been friends for almost four months now. Like  _actual_  friends. And friends should share things with friends. You know all my crap and how I’m an emotional mess and... and I know about your family and your parents and how much you miss Cora and Laura. But I have no idea what happened with you and the pack. Well, no, not the pack.  _Stiles,_  specifically.”

She turns to look at him, picking up a carton of milk. Her eyes meet his for a moment as she lets her words sink in, and then she swings open the fridge door.

Derek’s mind is racing. Should he tell her? Should he lie? Would Stiles care if Kira knows? And... and then he lets out a small breath. “Okay.”

“Okay?” Kira asks, spinning around to look at him again.

“Okay, I’ll tell you everything.”

Kira nods as if she had expected that. She finishes putting things away in the kitchen, and then she turns on the kettle for some tea. Derek leaves his workstation and sits down at the kitchen table. Kira hums as she decides what type of tea they’ll have today and then sets out the mugs to prepare for when the kettle whistles.

She joins him at the table. “Derek, whatever you tell me will stay between you and me. I will never let anyone, not even Stiles, know that I know your secret. They don’t even know that I visit you.”

“Uh,” Derek tilts his head. “I mean, you’re over here so often, I feel like my scent is  _all_  over you?”

“Actually,” Kira says, with a smile. “It’s masked. So, in all our wild stories, I befriended a witch. Her name is Alicia, and uh, it turns out that she’s Boyd’s little sister. He thought she died, except she didn’t. She was taken by some faeries, and... honestly, it’s a long story. But the point is Boyd’s sister is alive and well, and a very talented witch. Whenever I leave your place, I spray this, well it’s like a perfume, and then all scents of you and your house and the woods are replaced with my scent.”

“And that works?” Derek asks.

“Yeah. So, uh. No one knows. I was enjoying getting to know you and having you all to myself. And I really have no idea how the others will react. I mean, I know Erica and Boyd would be  _thrilled_  and would probably come to visit. They miss you a lot and they’re not shy about it,” Kira rambles.

“I’m happy to hear that Boyd’s sister is alive,” Derek murmurs, looking down at his hands. “And um. I know I haven’t really asked about the pack, but... how are they?”

Kira smiles, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. “I honestly don’t know. The last four months have been quiet on the supernatural front, so everyone has been... a little distant. Um. Erica and Boyd are engaged. I mean, no surprise there. I’m shocked they aren’t married yet, to be honest.”

Derek has to agree. Erica and Boyd are soul mates if one believes in those.

“Scott has been sleeping  _a lot._  Isaac and Allison are a little, um, concerned. I guess. They took him into Deaton’s, and Deaton said that he’s depressed. Which, honestly, who isn’t after all this crap?” Kira lets out a soft laugh. “He’s kept to himself mostly. But the three of them have officially moved into a new apartment. It’s actually close to the building with your loft.”

He isn’t sure what to say to that. Scott’s depressed? He knows his aunt used to have major depressive episodes and it was scary. Derek could offer Scott some help, but he... he isn’t sure Scott would want it from him.

“Let’s see...” Kira lets out a little sigh. “Lydia has been working with her mother on a charity. She seems to be thriving. There’s a big charity gala event coming up in a few months, so Lydia’s been putting all her effort into that. Um, Malia is doing okay. She’s been training with Hayden, Liam, and Mason.”

“Do you still...” Derek asks, letting his words trail off.

Kira’s eyes widen. “You knew about that?”

“Uh, werewolf, Kira,” Derek says, pointing to himself. “Your emotions are always right at the top. So, um, yeah. I knew.”

“Did anyone else?” Kira asks.

“I doubt it. I didn’t really finish teaching Scott how to accurately read emotions, so I can’t imagine he was able to teach the others how to accurately do it either,” Derek murmurs. He’s not sure that’s entirely true, Scott’s smart enough to figure it out, but that’s not going to comfort Kira. “He may be suspicious, but I don’t think he would’ve been confident.”

Kira nods. “Well, shit. Yeah, I still have feelings for Malia. I don’t even…it’s been so long, that if she were to have feelings for me, then… she would tell me, right?”

“You didn’t tell her,” Derek points out.

“I guess.” Kira lets out a soft sigh. “Do you know if…?”

“Malia masks her emotions better,” Derek murmurs. Kira’s shoulders slump. “But I thought she did just by the way she looked at you.”

Kira doesn’t say anything else about Malia. Instead, she says, “The young ones are good. I don’t think you met Tracy; she’s the newest pack member. We met her through Alicia. They’re dating. She’s a sweetheart and reminds me of Erica.”

“Jackson?”

Kira blinks. “You don’t know?”

“Uh, no.”

“Jackson left Beacon Hills. No one knows where he moved to,” Kira says. “He packed a bag, left us a note, and was gone. Scott followed his scent to the airport.”

Derek’s lips part. “Why did he leave?”

“No idea,” Kira murmurs. “I think maybe everything became too much for him and…he just had to get away. It’s been, uh, let’s see. Four years, I think.”

He’s trying to process the information when the whistle of the kettle goes off. Kira gets up to prepare their tea, and Derek leans back in his chair. He isn’t sure what he would’ve done, but he still wishes he’d been there for Jackson. “And, uh. Stiles? How is Stiles?”

Kira sits back down and pushes a mug of berry tea towards Derek. He stares down at it, unwilling to let her see his face. He can’t believe it’s taken him four months to ask. He should’ve asked the first time they hung out, but… but Kira hadn’t talked about the pack in present terms, so Derek hadn’t asked.

“He’s been better,” Kira answers. “He would never admit it though. His latest project has been to build a bookcase. I’m not sure why.”

Derek knows why.

“Uh, well, if your name comes up in a pack meeting or something, Stiles gets up and leaves.” Kira frowns. “I don’t know if I should tell you that or not, but it’s true.”

Derek bites down on the inside of his cheek to stop himself from overly reacting. After a moment passes, he finally says, “Stiles and I were dating.”

“What?” Kira gasps. “What do you mean you were _dating?”_

“Sort of,” Derek adds. He scrunches his nose when he looks at her. “You can _not_ repeat this to anyone. Not even Stiles. After his graduation, I stopped by his house with a little gift. It wasn’t anything major. And he invited me up to his room. We hung out for a little bit, and it was…it was fine.”

“Oh my god,” Kira whispers. She leans forward, her eyes attentive on his face.

“I don’t really know how it happened. I think Stiles was complaining about being a high school graduate and a virgin. He wouldn’t shut up about it, actually.” Derek takes a breath. He rubs his thumb over the mug. It’s easier to focus on the tea than it is to see Kira’s face right now. “I think I made a dumb joke about helping him out.”

“Oh my god!”

“He reacted about as well as you’d expect him to,” Derek mumbles.

“He kissed you,” Kira says.

Derek looks at her now and laughs. “No, actually. He did not take me seriously at all and was quite dismissive. It bummed me out because it’s not exactly what I had…I don’t know. Wanted, I guess? I mean, I made a joke, why would he take it seriously? But I guess I kind of…wanted him to.”

“What happened?”

“Uh, things were a little weird after that. But he showed up to my house one night, drunk as a skunk. The idiot had _walked_ all the way from town.” Derek lets out a small laugh. “He tried to kiss me, and I said no. I mean, he was drunk. I’m not… whatever. But then he told me how he couldn’t get the idea out of his head. It was all he thought about. And…and I don’t know. He crashed on my couch and I went to bed. When I woke up, he was making breakfast and rambling about how embarrassed he was. How he wanted us to be _cool._ ”

“And you kissed him!”

Derek laughs. “Yeah. I kissed him.”

“Holy shit. Holy fucking shit, Derek!” Kira playfully shoves his shoulder. “I did not see this coming. How did I not see this coming?”

“I honestly don’t know,” Derek murmurs. “I didn’t think we were that subtle. Anyway, we were together most of that year. We didn’t really talk about, well, feelings and stuff. I think it was mostly sexual. But then, everything happened, and Kate came back and…”

“And you needed a break.”

“Yeah. I told Stiles I needed to leave for a bit. Recharge. I was running on empty and I didn’t think I could keep going,” Derek murmurs. “He seemed to understand. He told me to talk to Scott. So I did.”

“And Scott reacted in the worst way possible.”

“Yeah.”

“What happened with you and Stiles?”

“Nothing,” Derek answers. “Everyone was there when Scott kicked me out of the pack. Stiles said nothing. Did nothing. And we haven’t talked since.”

“What the fuck,” Kira says. It catches Derek off guard and he laughs. She shakes her head. “That’s stupid. I’m so sorry, Derek. Did…did you love him?”

“Yeah,” Derek whispers, nodding. “Yeah, I think I really did.”

“And now it’s been six years,” Kira says with a scoff. “I’m sorry that the pack didn’t follow you.”

“It’s okay,” Derek says. It wasn’t, really, but it is now. He’s had six years to come to terms with what happened. “Everyone was so exhausted. So rundown. Sticking with the pack meant a stronger chance at survival.”

“Maybe,” Kira says. She reaches out and puts her hand over Derek’s. Her fingers curl under to touch his palm. “But we should’ve fought harder. Erica and Boyd did. They threatened to walk. Isaac was really upset. Allison broke up with Scott. It was…it wasn’t easy. Malia told Scott that you were family and she would not choose.”

“I didn’t know.”

“It was…it was hardest on Jackson, actually.”

“ _Jackson?_ ”

Kira nods. “I think he wanted to leave too, wanted a break. And then two years later, I think he decided to leave without a word because he didn’t want to deal with the drama that you had to.”

“I…” Derek sighs. “Honestly, I don’t know about you, but this is like, Too Much right now. Want to watch some Netflix?”

“Absolutely!” Kira says, beaming. The smile still doesn’t quite reach her eyes, but Derek is a little too overwhelmed to question it.

They settle on the couch, but Derek barely pays attention to what plays on the TV screen. His thoughts race with unanswered questions and possibilities.

 

 **☆** **☾** **☆**  

 

 

 _“Don’t you think I know that?”_ Laura asks from his laptop screen. He laughs, shaking his head. Laura had Skyped him without any warning, but he had been reading yet another terrible sex scene from that same terrible author so he’d welcomed the break.

“I have no idea,” Derek answers. “I mean, you _do_ keep making the same mistakes over and—”

 _“Hey Laura, sorry to interrupt,”_ a voice comes from off the screen. Laura’s head snaps up and her eyes are wide with panic. _“I just had—is everything okay?”_

Laura motions for the person to leave.

Derek scrunches his nose slightly, his eyebrows coming together. That voice…

“Laura, is that _Jackson_?”

His sister lowers her face to look at her screen again, her shoulders dropping. Her lips part but nothing comes out. Derek narrows his eyes and hopes that his judgey face comes off well on her screen. “Laura.”

_“Shit, I didn’t know…”_

“Jackson!” Derek shouts.

Suddenly, Jackson’s face is beside Laura’s. He waves, looking a little embarrassed. _“Heeeey, Derek. How’s it going?”_

“I have so many questions,” Derek says, shaking his head. “But the only one that matters is… are you okay?”

Jackson glances at Laura before he nods. _“Yeah, I’m okay. Um. I’ll get your number from Laura and maybe I’ll call you. We can, uh, get caught up now that you know.”_

“Please,” Derek says.

_“Bye.”_

Jackson’s face leaves the screen. Derek’s pretty sure he says something else to Laura, but then he hears a door shut. Laura rubs her face with her hands and lets out a long breath that makes the microphone staticky. _“He showed up at the apartment and begged Cora and I for help. He was so rattled and distraught and…we just helped him. He didn’t want anyone to know where he ended up. He’s been working for me for the last three years._ ”

“Jesus, Laura,” Derek murmurs. “I don’t really know what to say, but I’m glad that you and Cora are looking out for him. How’s he doing?”

 _“Good, I think,”_ Laura answers. She lets out a sigh. _“Honestly, I should go check on him. Please don’t tell anyone you saw him.”_

“Laura, who the hell do you think I talk to from the pack?”

 _“I guess you’re right. Still. It’s Jackson’s secret. And like, I don’t know, I guess he’s grown on me in the last few years, so…”_ Laura looks away from the computer screen, probably towards her door. _“I gotta check on him, Derek. I’ll catch you later. Love you!”_

“Love you,” he murmurs. The call ends.

He leans back in his chair. Jackson had ended up with his sisters and not once did they ever let it slip. He hadn’t even known they were hiding something from him. Laura and Cora have never been good at keeping secrets. Then again, the same could be said about him and yet, Derek hasn’t told them about Kira.

Rubbing the bridge of his nose, he takes a moment to himself before switching screens back to the horrid book of the year. Derek wishes his boss gives him something better to work on next time.

A while later, the front door swings open, and Kira gently rubs his shoulders while reading his screen. He leans into her and closes his eyes.

“This is hilarious, like—”

“I know where Jackson is,” Derek blurts.

Kira’s hands go still on his shoulders. He gently spins his chair around, and her hands hover in the air where she’d been touching him. She lowers them slowly. “You…you know where Jackson is?”

“Yeah.” Derek rubs his neck. “I can’t tell you where. But he’s safe. He’s doing well. And he said he would reach out to me to get caught up.”

Kira sits down on Derek’s knees. “He’s okay?”

“Yeah.”

And then Kira starts crying.

Derek hadn’t seen that coming.

 

 **☆** **☾** **☆**  

 

 _“I don’t know what to tell you,”_ Jackson says over the phone. _“I shouldn’t have let Scott treat you like that. I shouldn’t have…I should’ve gone with you.”_

“It’s okay,” Derek murmurs. He has no idea what to make of this entire conversation so far. After learning about how close Jackson and Kira had become the year before Jackson took off and learning that Kira has been terrified about what happened to Jackson… he feels uncertain about how to handle this call. It’s been a week and a half since Jackson’s whereabouts had been exposed. To him. “It was a rough time. Scott made a call that he thought was the right one.”

 _“Well, it wasn’t.”_ Jackson makes some noise and it takes Derek a moment to realize he’s either cooking or washing dishes. _“I didn’t really get why you wanted to leave at the time. Like, we had dealt with so much at that point, it felt like we could handle anything. And then slowly, things started to build, and I didn’t think I was going to survive. I had too much guilt. Too many memories. I’ve been in therapy since I moved in with your sisters.”_

Derek blinks. “Wait, you _live_ with Laura and Cora? How come I never smelled you when I visit?”

 _“Because you’ve visited twice in the last three years and I stayed with a friend for two months prior to those visits,”_ Jackson explains as if it’s obvious. _“We hid all my stuff in the storage room downstairs, and they wrap the bed in plastic and pile a bunch of blankets on top, so you wouldn’t notice.”_

“Uh. I’m suddenly feeling unobservant.”

Jackson laughs, and the sound catches Derek by surprise. A smile crosses his face though. He’s not sure he’s ever heard Jackson laugh before. _“Nah, don’t take it personally. You didn’t have any reason to think anything was weird. Um, so, how are you?”_

Derek catches Jackson up with random stuff about his job, and then… and then he quietly says, “I’m going to tell you something that you can’t tell my sisters.”

_“Okay, you’ve got my attention, Hale.”_

“So, um.” Derek rubs his face. “Kira and I have been hanging out for the last, like, five months.”

 _“Kira?”_ Jackson’s voice is filled with hope. _“How is she? Is she okay? Does she hate me? How the hell are you two friends? Is…is she happy?”_

Derek leans against the kitchen counter. “She’s holding up alright. She was very concerned about your well-being, and she doesn’t hate you. I told her that I knew where you were and that you were okay and she was relieved.”

There’s silence on the other end of the line but Derek can’t blame Jackson.

“We ran into each other in the grocery store, actually,” Derek continues. “Things have been quiet on the supernatural front and…”

_“I miss her so much.”_

Derek’s surprised by the amount of emotion in Jackson’s voice. His thoughts race and then he asks, “Why don’t you come visit me and see her? Before you freak out about the rest of the pack, I think I have a solution for masking your scent.”

_“Are you serious, Hale?”_

“Yeah. I think it’d make Kira happy.” Derek starts to list the things he needs to do in his mind. “Give me a week and I’ll let you know if I can make it work. It’d be nice to see you, Jackson. But I think Kira needs you right now.”

They talk for a few more minutes, but then one of Derek’s sisters come home, and Jackson says he should go. Their goodbye isn’t drawn out, but short and sweet. Derek sends Kira a text message and asks if the potion Alicia made her could work on anyone and if it could be adjusted to mask one’s own scent.

Kira replied that she’d get back to him.

 

 **☆** **☾** **☆**  

 

When the front door swings open a few weeks later, Kira is mid-sentence. She’s been talking ever since she pulled into the driveway, trusting that Derek is listening. Her words are cut off when her eyes land on Jackson leaning against the back of the couch, waiting for her.

Derek watches as the two rush to each other, hugging and crying. He steps out of the house to give them some time to get caught up. Derek had sent Jackson a bottle of the potion, so he could subtly spray himself on the plane ride over. He’d picked Jackson up at the airport, and he was overwhelmed by the emotions rolling off Jackson. Anxiety, fear, nervous, worry, excitement, happiness, caution… Jackson had no idea how to feel.

Now, the feeling of relief and happiness is almost suffocating.

He’s happy his plan worked.

Derek walks to the back of the house and sheds his clothes. A moment later, he’s on all fours and running. This is something he had worked hard to do, something he shares with his mother and Laura. Cora has no interest in learning how to fully shift into a wolf, and it’s honestly a shame. Derek would love to go running with her sometime.

He keeps his ears peeled for anyone in the forest, but he doesn’t hear anything. Derek chases some squirrels without the intention of attacking them and pads his way down to the lake. He dips his nose towards the water and laps it up.

It seems silly to drink water from the lake in his wolf form, but he always gets a little rush out of it.

And then he hears a twig snap somewhere behind him.

_“Shit.”_

Derek jerks his head up and circles around, his eyes scanning the area. His heart pounds fast. Derek can smell him. He’s nearby, around the curve of the lake. Derek takes off running before Stiles can get too far.

When he reaches Stiles, he comes to a slow trot and eventually, stops. Stiles stares at him, eyes wide.

“Derek?”

He lowers his nose slightly before giving him the slightest nod.

What is Stiles doing here? In Derek’s woods? Stiles and Derek used to walk around the lake together. Sometimes, they’d fuck after Derek assured Stiles that not a single soul was around. They had been so wrapped up in one another and then it was all over.

Derek has tried his best to not think of Stiles. It’s easier that way.

But now, he’s standing in front of Derek.

He has an oversized sweater on, a pair of jeans that seem to be snug, and his hair is a mess. Derek remembers messing it up. He remembers running his hands through it. He huffs.

“I…” Stiles sighs, shoving his hands into the pocket of his sweater. “I don’t know what to say. Or why I’m even here. I was thinking about you, and…fuck, I’m always thinking about you.”

Derek tilts his head, ears alert. He doesn’t want to forget anything.

“I miss you.”

Against his better judgement, Derek closes the space between them. He nudges his head against Stiles’ hand until Stiles scratches behind his ear. He sits down after a moment while Stiles mindlessly gives him scratches.

“Everything got so fucked up and I didn’t know how to…how to stand up to Scott. How to reach out to you. I was afraid you would be so angry at me, and I know there’s no way you can forgive me.” Stiles lets out a long exhale. “I can’t forgive me. I needed to clear my head. My thoughts got a little…overwhelming. And I ended up here. I just…I can’t believe you’re here too.”

Derek puts a little more of his weight against Stiles, his tail wagging. He could transform back into his human form, but he’s not sure that would benefit either of them right now. Instead, he decides to let Stiles talk to him. He’s here. That’s all that matters to Derek.

Maybe one day Derek would be able to tell Stiles that he was never angry at him. A little broken hearted, sure, but never angry. The situation had ravelled out of control, and none of them were in a place to deal with it properly. Everyone had been at their wit’s end. Exhausted. Derek whines when Stiles is quiet for too long.

“It’s been so quiet. I’m starting to wonder who the hell I am,” Stiles murmurs at the prompt. “If I’m not fighting the supernatural, if my friends aren’t almost dying every other week, who am I? My dad thinks it’s time for me to consider a career. Establish a normal life. Be a regular human.”

Stiles sits down on the ground beside Derek suddenly. They continue to stare out at the lake, but then Derek feels Stiles’ arms wrap around him. He gives Stiles’ face a small lick and Stiles laughs.

“I’m not sure I know how to be a normal, functioning member of society,” Stiles murmurs. He pulls away to stroke Derek’s back; his gaze moves out to the lake again. “I miss you. I miss you so much, Derek. No one else quite understood me like you. I hope you’re doing well. I ask Boyd to check in on you sometimes. He’s probably the most attuned wolf to reading emotions. Scott isn’t the best at it. He tries, but sometimes he gets emotions mixed up. Especially if there’s a lot.”

Boyd has checked in on Derek? He doesn’t know what to do with that information.

Suddenly, Derek wants to be closer to Stiles. He circles around Stiles for a moment before carefully lying down with his head in Derek’s lap. Stiles lets out a small laugh, and his sadness doesn’t smell quite so pungent anymore.

Derek will stay here for as long as Stiles will let him.

 

 **☆** **☾** **☆**  

 

 

“I’ll never be able to thank you,” Jackson tells Derek the following morning in the kitchen. Derek carefully flips a piece of bacon before looking over his shoulder at Jackson. “I honestly didn’t think I’d be able to come back. And I don’t think I could. I like my life in New York with your sisters. But…seeing Kira again, it was everything.”

Derek nods. “Anytime, man.”

“You’re different,” Jackson comments as he pulls out a stool to sit at the kitchen island. Derek gives him a quizzing look before he flips another piece of bacon. “You’re grounded. You know what you want and who you are.”

A small laugh escapes his lips. Derek shakes his head. “I’m not sure that’s true.”

“It is,” Jackson says with confidence. Derek’s lips twitch up in amusement. “I know it is because I feel the same. I’m grounded in New York too. But there’s always going to be a tug to be with the pack. I don’t know if that ever goes away.”

“I don’t think it does,” Derek admits. He turns to look at Jackson now. “It’s been really nice having Kira around. We weren’t so close when I was part of the pack, but…she’s special.”

“She is,” Jackson agrees. “She told me how much you’ve done for her these last few months. I’m grateful she had you when she needed someone the most. I feel like such a selfish asshole.”

“Don’t,” Derek says. “You had to put yourself first. Just like I had to. It’s one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, but… it’s the best thing I could’ve done. If I had stayed, and let myself get run down, I… I would’ve given up altogether.”

Jackson bobs his head. “Yeah, you’re right. I’m pretty sure if I had stayed, I would’ve just let some monster take my life because it would’ve been easier. I’m still a little ashamed about _how_ I left, but… Kira says you’re doing well for yourself these days. Editing books?”

“Yep,” Derek answers, a smile crossing his face briefly. “I still can’t believe you went to _Laura_ and _Cora_ for help.”

“Oh my god, I know!” Jackson laughs. “Your sisters were _pissed._ They were so mad when I made it very clear that I didn’t want anyone to know where I was. And I thought for sure that Cora was going to punch me in the face. Your sisters are terrifying.”

“But they kept you around,” Derek points out.

“But they kept me around,” Jackson murmurs. His face breaks out into a huge smile. “Honestly, I love them so much. They’re bitchy, I’m bitchy, it all works out.”

“What convinced them to help you?” Derek asks.

Jackson shrugs. “I don’t know, actually. I kind of assumed that they understood how I felt, and they were pissed that Scott kicked you out of the pack, so it was kind of… an empathetic and spiteful decision on their part?”

“I could see that,” Derek admits. “They don’t understand why I stuck around Beacon Hills, but they helped rebuild the house so…”

“Why _did_ you stick around?”

“I mean, I might not be pack to them, but… they’re still pack to me.”

Jackson whistles. “Damn. Dude.”

“Don’t tell Kira I said that.”

“You got it. Do you talk to anyone else in the pack?”

“Nah,” Derek answers. His mind flickers to the day before sitting at the edge of the lake with Stiles. “I don’t talk to anyone else. Just Kira. And I mean, I should point out that Beacon Hills is my home and I didn’t want to be run out of my own home.”

“I get that.” Jackson pulls out his phone and replies to a message of some sort. When he looks back up, he says, “I’m not sure what Kira’s told you, but Stilinski was pretty fucked up after you left. Er, were kicked out. Whatever. After you and the pack were no longer.”

Derek shrugs. “Yeah, what about it?”

“He got drunk and told me that he was in love with you.” Jackson’s eyes are on Derek when he goes still. He swallows and closes his eyes.

Then Derek turns and asks, “How do you like your eggs?”

Jackson doesn’t seem fazed by the avoidance and says, “Over-hard. I fucking hate runny yolk.”

Derek laughs in surprise at how strong Jackson feels about his eggs and turns to the fridge to pull out the carton. When he straightens, his nose catches a whiff.

His eyes widen and he turns to look at Jackson.

“Is that Stilinski?” Jackson asks, looking at the door. “Why is he here?”

“I—” Derek’s brain stops working.

Jackson stands up, frowning. “I don’t know if I’m ready for this. Are _you_ ready for this?”

“Uh—”

“Maybe we should sneak upstairs and wait until he leaves?” Jackson suggests.

“Um.”

“Hale! Snap out of it,” Jackson says, waving his hand in front of Derek’s face. “What do you want to do? Because Stilinski just pulled into your driveway. He’ll be at your front door in less than a minute.”

“I’m not…I can’t…”

“Okay,” Jackson says. He leans over and turns off the stove elements. “Let’s go hide upstairs, Hale, because we’re both too chickenshit to deal with _Stilinski._ And if you two ever talk again, and he _ever_ finds out that I hid from him, I will eat your arm.”

Derek lets Jackson lead him upstairs. They settle in the guest room that Jackson has been staying in. Derek closes his eyes when he hears Stiles knock on the front door.

 _“Derek?”_ Stiles whispers. _“Are you home? I… I doubt you want to see me. I just…I wanted to talk about yesterday.”_

Jackson’s head whips around to look at Derek, a deep glare on his face. Derek rubs the bridge of his nose.

 _“I said some stuff, and I just,”_ Stiles starts and stops. Derek hears his hand, or maybe his head, bump against the wooden door. _“I guess you don’t want to see me. That’s just as well. Or maybe you’re not even home. You could be out for a run or something now, I guess. But um. If you are there, I just wanted to say that I’m really sorry for how everything went down. And um. I miss you.”_

Derek’s heart pounds so loudly that he has to put in a little more effort to focus on Stiles. He ignores Jackson’s facial expressions because Derek’s pretty sure Jackson wants him to go talk to Stiles. He can’t. Yesterday, they bumped into each other. And it was okay because Derek didn’t have to talk. It was safe.

He doesn’t think he can handle an actual conversation with Stiles.

Everything had been changing too much and…

_“Kira?”_

Derek lifts his head and looks at Jackson with wide eyes. Jackson hisses, “What the fuck do we do now?!”

 _“What are you doing here?”_ Stiles asks.

 _“Stiles?”_ Kira’s voice comes. Her voice is squeakier than usual. _“Why are you at Derek’s?”_

_“Why are you?”_

“Dude, you’ve gotta go down,” Jackson says, gesturing wildly. “Don’t leave Kira out there.”

 _“I, uh, I thought maybe I’d come to…”_ Stiles lets his voice trail. _“No, wait, I’m so confused. What is happening right now?”_

“Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!” Derek pushes himself off the bed. He grabs Jackson’s hand and with a firm grip, drags him along. “If I have to do this, so do you!”

“Oh my god, Hale. I’m going to eat your arm!”

Derek ignores the threat as they go down the stairs. He can hear Kira humming as she tries to think of a reasonable explanation. With his grip on Jackson’s hand tight, Derek swings the front door open.

“Get in here.”

Stiles and Kira both jump; Stiles lets out a yelp. His jaw drops open when he sees Jackson, but he doesn’t hesitate to rush into the house. Kira jogs up the stairs and gives Derek an apologetic smile. Derek shuts the door and lets go of Jackson’s hand.

“Jesus, Hale. I could kill you.”

“But you won’t,” Derek says. “Stiles, Jackson has been living with my sisters for the last three years in New York. He has a bigshot corporate job and he’s happy. Kira and I bumped into each other at a grocery store and she needed a friend. We started to hang out, and she’s my best friend.”

“I am?” Kira asks, beaming. “I love you, Derek.”

“I love you too.” Derek lets out a breath. “Kira, Jackson, when I left you guys to get caught up yesterday, I went for a run as my wolf. I ran into Stiles at the lake.”

“My mind is exploding right now,” Stiles says, rubbing his temples. “This is way too much to process.”

“Alright, well, I’m going to finish making breakfast. Do you guys want anything?” Jackson asks, his tone bored. Derek can hear the way his heart races and how he’s suddenly very anxious. He doesn’t argue though; doing something with his hands will be good for Jackson.

“Um, I could go for bacon and eggs. And I’ll help you with the toast,” Kira says. She follows Jackson into the kitchen.

“What is happening right now.”

“Is that a question or…?” Derek teases. Stiles’ eyes grow wide and he starts sputtering. None of it forms a sentence though, so Derek leads him to the couch. They sit down. “I’ll answer any questions you have, but under the condition that _no one_ finds out about any of this. Jackson doesn’t want people to know where he is. Kira doesn’t want to hurt the pack by being friends with me.”

“I…” Stiles shakes his head and lets out a breath. “Yeah, no, of course. I won’t say anything. It’s just, uh, it’s all very unexpected. And then to see you again…”

Derek reaches out and slips his hand around Stiles’. “It’s good to see you again, Stiles.”

“You too,” Stiles whispers. “Um, about yesterday…”

“I was never mad at you. I didn’t want you to choose between Scott or me, so I listened to Scott. It seemed easier that way,” Derek whispers back. He knows that Jackson and Kira can hear them, but he doesn’t really care. He looks down at their hands, rubbing his thumb over Stiles’ like he used to. “I did what I needed to do. I’ve made peace with my decision and I’m okay.”

“I missed you,” Stiles whispers, his voice cracking.

“I missed you too,” Derek murmurs. He gives Stiles’ a small smile before pulling his hand away. “I’m not sure we can be friends again though. I don’t want to put you in the middle of anything.”

Stiles’ eyes fill with tears, but they don’t fall. “Yeah, yeah, uh. I get that. I guess, maybe, I should, um leave.”

“Stay for breakfast?” Jackson calls out. “Not only did I already put on eggs for you, but I also missed you, dude.”

“What the fuck is happening?” Stiles jokes. “Jackson is admitting that he misses me?”

“It’s perfect because you can’t tell anyone else,” Jackson teases. “So now you have this knowledge and even if you shared it, no one would believe you.”

“Fuck.” Stiles grins and Derek watches some tension leave his shoulders. “Alright, you big lug. I’ll stay for breakfast. But I want to hear _everything_ that I’ve missed. For both of you. And, uh, you too Kira. Who knew you were so sneaky?”

Derek laughs.

He’s not sure what will happen now, but he feels hopeful for the first time in a long, long time.

 

 **☆** **☾** **☆**  

 

 

“I’m going to miss you,” Jackson tells Derek. He holds out his arms and they embrace. “You’re something else, Hale. Thank you for everything you did for me. I’m never going to forget it.”

“Keep in touch,” Derek tells him. He pats Jackson’s cheek just to annoy him. “And be good to my sisters.”

“Ha! As if they’d settle for anything less,” Jackson says. He turns to Kira, and Derek watches tears fill his eyes. He steps away to give them some space. He hears Jackson tell Kira how much he loves her and how he’s so happy they got to see each other again. He gives Kira his phone number and tells her to pretend she has a friend named Jackie from childhood.

Derek can’t help but listen as Kira tells him how relieved she is that he’s doing well, and how she’ll visit him in New York. They hug one more time and then Derek turns back.

“Thanks again, Hale.” Jackson gives him a nod. “And uh, tell Stilinski that he’s a loser at least once a week.”

“We’re not doing that,” Kira says, firmly.

“Eh, it was worth a shot. I’ll see you around.”

Derek wraps his arms around Kira’s shoulders as they watch Jackson walk away. After they lose him in the crowd, Derek walks them back to the Camaro. Kira sniffs. “That was the best gift anyone could have given me.”

He smiles at her.

 

 **☆** **☾** **☆**  

 

“This isn’t happening.”

Derek looks up to give Kira a curious look. He’s been working very hard on the next draft of this horrendous book that he had forgotten she was even here. She waves towards the front door and a moment later, it swings open. Stiles walks in with a loud “Hello!”

“Stiles!” Kira says. “What are you doing here?”

“I missed you guys,” Stiles answers. “And I was bored. Sue me. What are you guys watching tonight?”

“Okay, we need to set up some boundaries,” Kira announces. “Stiles, I _love_ you, but Derek and I have our own friendship. And if you keep coming over and making this into a threesome, I’m going to scream!”

“Whoa,” Stiles says, taking a step back. “I didn’t realize, Kira. I’m sorry. I guess I was just so excited to hang out with Derek again that I didn’t think about how you’d feel.”

“Oh.” Kira deflates. “It’s fine. But can we work out a schedule so that Derek and I still get some alone time?”

“Yeah, of course. Um, can I stay since I’m already here?”

“Yeah.”

“Do I get a say in this?” Derek asks from his desk.

“No,” Kira and Stiles say in unison. Derek shrugs, because he shouldn’t have expected anything else.

He gets up, stretching his legs before he makes his way into the kitchen. He fills up the kettle for some tea. Derek rolls his shoulders a bit; they’re tense from reading that stupid book.

His phone vibrates and he pulls it out. A smile crosses his face and he answers the call. “Hey, Cora.”

 _“What did you do to Jackson?”_ Cora demands.

“Uh, excuse me?” Derek asks.

 _“He’s been home for a month and he’s still moping around! What did you do? Why did you break him?”_ Cora asks. She takes a very loud breath before adding, _“Hi, Derek. I miss you. I hope you’ve been well. I heard things got a little out of hand while Jack was there. Is there a reason he’s sad?”_

“I can’t think of one,” Derek answers. Kira comes into the kitchen and he points at the phone. She gives him a thumbs up and goes back into the living room. “But I mean, you know what it’s like when you haven’t been around pack in so long, and then suddenly, you’re with them for a little bit. It’s not an easy thing to shake when you have to go back to being without them.”

 _“But we’re his pack too!”_ Cora whines. _“I just don’t know what to do. Laura thinks we should encourage him to go back to Beacon Hills. She actually thinks he should move in with you, but that’s just—”_

“I mean,” Derek says, interrupting her. “If that’s something he’d want, I’d be okay with it. Like, I have how many empty bedrooms? It really wouldn’t be a big deal if he wanted to take one.”

 _“But he loves his job,”_ Cora points out. Then she sighs. _“Although, I’m sure he could find another one in the city.”_

“I think that maybe you guys should talk to Jackson and figure out what he wants,” Derek tells his sister. “I actually have people over, so I’m going to go.”

 _“Wait, people?”_ Cora asks. _“Derek Hale, are you telling me that Kira_ and _Stiles are over right now?”_

“Uh, yeah. I guess Jackson told you everything, huh?” Derek says. He pours the hot water into three mugs, balancing the phone between his ear and shoulder. “It’s been a weird year.”

 _“No kidding. Damn. Maybe Laura and I should come home for a bit.”_ Cora pauses before adding, _“How are you holding up?”_

“Pretty well, actually,” Derek answers. He’s almost surprised at himself. “It was a little weird at first, but honestly, it’s been nice hanging out with them. I mean, I’ve been hanging out with Kira for like six months now. But it’s nice having Stiles around.”

 _“Yeah, I think Laura and I should come home and see this with our own eyes,”_ Cora murmurs. _“I should let you go. Jack just got home with Chinese and I’m starving. But have fun, and take care of yourself, big brother.”_

Derek laughs. “Sure thing, Cora. Give Laura my love and tell Jackson that I’m game for whatever he decides.”

_“You suck. Love you!”_

“Love you too, brat.”

Derek hangs up and brings in two mugs of tea. He sets them down on the coffee table for Stiles and Kira before he goes back for his own. He’s surprised when Stiles follows him, but he refrains from commenting.

“Hey, um. It’s cool that I’ve been coming around to hang out with you, right?” Stiles asks, his voice soft and unsure.

Derek nods. “Yeah. It’s nice having you around again, Stiles. Before everything, we were good friends.”

“It’s just, you said you didn’t think we could be friends again, and I completely ignored that because I was being selfish. And Kira just pointed out to me that I’ve been coming over unannounced and—”

Derek sets a hand on Stiles’ shoulder. He gives him a gentle squeeze. “It’s okay, Stiles. Seriously. Any hesitation I had about this is long gone. I like having you back.”

A smile breaks out across Stiles’ face. “I like having you back too.”

“Yo! Lovebirds, would you hurry up?” Kira calls out from the living room.

Derek and Stiles share a smile before joining Kira again.

 

 **☆** **☾** **☆**  

 

Derek has finally been given a _great_ book by his boss. He’s in the middle of it and he hasn’t been editing a damn thing. He’ll have to comb through it again, but he got too caught up in it to bother making edits. It’s a murder mystery that isn’t too over the top, but somehow, intriguing and engaging.

He doesn’t register the knock on his front door until he hears his name.

Derek’s eyebrows draw together, and he takes a moment to come back to his surroundings. His heart starts to race because what is with people showing up at his house unannounced? Derek rushes to the front door though and feels a knot form in his throat the second his eyes land on Erica and Boyd.

“Derek!” Erica shouts. She rushes forward and throws her arms around his neck. Derek realizes that her feet are no longer on the ground and quickly wraps his arms around her to hold her there. His eyes meet Boyd’s over her shoulder, and Boyd gives him the smallest of nods. “I’ve missed you so much. Please don’t send me away.”

“Erica, I’d _never_ send you away,” Derek says. He sets her down on the ground and pulls away, keeping his hands on her waist. Hers hover at his shoulders. “I’m not sure why you’re here, but you’re always welcome. You know that, right?”

Erica glances back at Boyd before she smiles at Derek. “Listen, Boyd and I have news.”

“You finally got married,” Derek guesses in a teasing tone.

“No! No, but we are engaged.” Erica brushes her fingertips down Derek’s face. “And the thing is that we’ve been talking. We can’t possibly get married without you.”

The thought hits Derek right in his heart. He bends down to wrap Erica in another hug. He lifts her up and pulls her into the house. Boyd steps in a moment later and they shut the door. Derek swallows, breathing her in.

“I’d be honoured,” Derek murmurs, his voice thick with emotion. When they pull apart this time, Derek moves for Boyd. He wraps his arms around his old friend. “Congratulations, you two.”

“Thanks, man.” Boyd glances around the house. “Damn, you and your sisters did some good work.”

“Well, we hired a lot of people,” Derek says. He brushes his eyes where tears start to fall. “I heard about your sister, Boyd. I’m happy that Alicia is okay.”

Boyd meets Derek’s eyes, and somehow, Derek has a feeling he’s already figured out how Derek knows that. He nods. “Thank you. I’m very lucky. She’s also terrifyingly good at magic.”

“It’s pretty awesome,” Erica says. She steps forward to run her fingers over Derek’s beard. “God, look at you. It’s like no time has passed at all, except you look a little old now.”

Derek laughs. “You guys want some tea?”

“I’ll take coffee if you have it,” Erica answers. The two of them follow him into the kitchen. They take seats at the kitchen island. “It’s really good to see you again, Derek.”

“Does the pack know you’re here?” Derek asks, his back to them. He works on getting Erica some coffee after he puts the kettle on the stove.

“Yes,” Erica says. “Well, no. Scott knows.”

“We told Scott we were coming to see you because you’re family,” Boyd says, his voice smooth as always. Derek can’t look at them; he has no idea what his face is doing right now. “He’s not doing so well these days.”

“He didn’t even react,” Erica murmurs. “Allison and Isaac are going nuts, worrying about him. Deaton says there’s not much we can do unless Scott goes to the hospital. But he won’t. And his mother has prescribed him some meds, but he never takes them.”

Derek glances at them. He hasn’t asked Kira or Stiles for many updates on the pack; the weight of missing them is too heavy these days. He’s been trying to take what he can get through Kira, Stiles, and Jackson. But now Erica and Boyd are here and…

“Can you leave me the address to his apartment?” Derek asks.

Erica and Boyd share a look, but Erica says, “Of course.”

“So, when’s the wedding?” Derek asks. He leans his back against the counter while they wait for the coffee and tea to be ready. Erica happily chatters on, and Boyd stares at her with hearts in his eyes, Derek swears.

It feels as if no time has passed between them at all.

Before they leave, Erica wraps Derek in another hug and kisses his cheek. “I love you so much. I’m sorry we didn’t stand by you when we should have.”

“You were scared and tired. I swear if one more person apologizes for it, I’m—”

“Who else has apologized?” Erica asks, pulling away to study Derek.

“I meant if _you_ apologize one more time?” Derek tries.

Erica scoffs and looks at Boyd. “Do you believe him?”

“No,” Boyd answers. “But the man is allowed his secrets, Erica.”

She pouts but nods. “You’re right. I have absolutely no right to demand them. But Derek, I love you and I’ve really missed you. We’ll keep you posted on the wedding stuff.”

“You also promised to give him Scott’s address,” Boyd adds.

“Oh, right!”

Derek grabs her a pen and a piece of paper. She scribbles it down and folds it before handing it back to him. Erica searches his face. “What are you going to do?”

“Babe, I think that’s between Derek and Scott,” Boyd tells her. He steps forward and hugs Derek again. “It was really good to see you. I’m glad you’re doing well, man. We’ll be in touch, okay?”

“Okay,” Derek says. He walks them to the front door and hesitates before saying, “Thanks for coming. I missed both of you.”

Erica nods but doesn’t say whatever it is she wants to. She slips her hand in Boyd’s and they walk back to the car. Derek watches them go, and at the last minute, Erica shouts, “I can smell Stiles and Kira!”

Boyd shakes his head but otherwise seems impressed that they made it to the car before she caved. He swings the door open for Erica and she’s mumbling that whatever they used to mask their scent was never sprayed _in_ the house. Boyd gives Derek a small salute and quietly says, “Your secret is safe with us.”

Derek waves as they leave. When he shuts the door, he looks around. He hadn’t considered that the scent of the house had changed. It’d been such a slow process, having Kira and Stiles become part of his routine. He takes a deep breath and smiles.

It smells more like a home, especially with Erica and Boyd’s scents still lingering.

 

 **☆** **☾** **☆**  

 

Derek memorizes Scott’s address, but it takes him almost a month to work up the courage to _go._ In that month, he’s spent a lot of time hanging out with Kira, Stiles, Erica, and Boyd. Three separate occasions, all five of them hung out. Derek’s also spent more time chatting with his sisters and Jackson. He’s not sure whether or not Jackson will move back, but it’s definitely being discussed these days.

He asked Boyd to text him when he knew that Isaac and Allison would be out of the apartment. Boyd had a few times, but Derek’s finally going to visit Scott.

Derek doesn’t expect Scott to answer the door so when his knock goes unanswered, Derek gently breaks the door in. He’ll send someone over to fix the broken lock later. He makes his way into the bedroom and stands in the doorway.

“I know you’re awake,” Derek says.

The first thing he’s spoken to Scott in six years and he sounds like an ass. He rubs his fingertips against his forehead. Yeah, he could’ve done better.

Scott rolls over and lifts his head slightly. “Oh, it’s you.”

Or maybe Derek shouldn’t care at all what his first words are. He crosses the bedroom and sits down on the mattress. Scott’s sprawled on the other side.

“What are you doing here? In my bedroom?” Scott asks, tugging on the comforter. “Haven’t you heard? I’m the worst Alpha in the world. I kick out members when they probably needed me the most. I project all my insecurities on others. And I’m a goddamn murderer.”

Derek scoffs. He doesn’t mean to, but he does. Scott stares at him, his expression unreadable. Derek reaches out, hesitating before placing his hand on Scott’s arm.

He takes a breath and draws out the pain. There’s so much of it. Derek holds on though. He never did tell anyone that werewolves can also take away emotional pain too. Derek closes his eyes and hisses. It feels like every single emotion Scott has repressed in the last six years has finally come to light.

When it’s too much, and he’s started to feel exhausted himself, Derek pulls his hand off Scott’s arm. He looks at his old friend and quietly says, “You need to cut yourself some slack, McCall.”

Scott sits up, tugging on the comforter again. This time, his eyes search Derek’s face. “I…I didn’t know you could do that.”

“Yeah, well, I didn’t exactly get to teach you everything,” Derek murmurs. “And being born a werewolf and being a bitten werewolf…it’s hard to really pass down the knowledge I had growing up. I forget that you don’t know everything.”

Scott takes a deep breath. “I… thank you. It doesn’t feel so…heavy.”

“Whatever guilt you feel about banning me from the pack, let it go.” Derek shrugs. “I made my peace with it a long time ago. It doesn’t feel like you did. But it’s done. It’s one decision that sort of sucked for a bit, but we can’t change it.”

“I wish I could. I should’ve never—”

“Scott,” Derek commands. Scott swallows but closes his lips and nods. “What’s done is done. There’s nothing to forgive. We were exhausted. Things were said on both ends that cannot be taken back. It’s _okay._ I don’t know much about you projecting your insecurities on people, but the murderer thing?”

“What about it?” Scott asks, his voice so quiet.

“You did what you had to do to save a whole lot of people,” Derek tells him. He reaches forward to gently pat Scott’s hand. “I know that your last battle was the hardest and that creatures from all over fear the pack now. That you’re finally getting a break. You did it, Scott. You made the tough choices, and you survived. Now? Now, you’ve got to get help. Professional help.”

“How do you know any of this?” Scott asks. Then he sighs. “Erica and Boyd?”

“Sure,” Derek says, shrugging. Scott narrows his eyes, but Derek doesn’t elaborate. Instead, he says, “Depression in anyone is dangerous. Depression in werewolves is harder. Regular medicines don’t work the same on us; we need to have higher doses, and most doctors are unable to prescribe that. And even then, it’s not a guarantee that it’ll change anything. But talk therapy helps. Maybe doing some CBT. There are professional supernatural therapists.”

“There are?” Scott asks, and there’s a hint of hope in his voice.

“There are. It’ll take me some time to track them down, but I will if that’s something you’re ready for,” Derek tells him.

Scott looks down at his hands. He fiddles with them. “I…I don’t know.”

“Your pack is worried about you.”

“I know I’ve been sleeping a lot but I’ll be fine. I’m just catching up on all the sleep I’ve missed.”

Derek sighs. “Scott.”

“I’m…” Scott lets out a breath and tears stream down his cheeks. “I’m scared, Derek. What if I can’t come back from this? What if I’m just…what if…”

Derek shifts on the bed. He sits beside Scott and then pulls him in. He’s gotten pretty good at this whole comforting thing lately. He rests his cheek on the top of Scott’s head. And that’s how Allison and Isaac find them an hour later.

Isaac gives Derek a quick and awkward hug before quietly excusing himself into the living room. Allison stares at the two of them, unmoving. Her lips part and close multiple times. Derek doesn’t know what to tell her; he has no idea what’s going through her mind right now. She spins on her heel and joins Isaac.

“I don’t know why they’re still here,” Scott whispers.

“They love you,” Derek answers. He rubs Scott’s arm. “They want you to get better.”

“And if I can’t?”

Derek lets out a soft laugh. “Scott, you can. If I can come back from losing my parents and most of my extended family, if I can come back from Kate, if I can come back from all the shit we dealt with, _and_ then losing my pack all over again on top of it? You can come back from this. But you have to get help. You can’t do it on your own _and that’s okay._ ”

“What’s going on?”

Derek lifts his head at the sound of Lydia’s voice. Fuck, he isn’t ready for this. He’d tuned out most of Isaac and Allison’s whispering to focus on Scott.

“Excuse me, _what_?”

Then Lydia’s heels click across the apartment floor to the bedroom door; the neighbours below must hate her. She stands in the doorframe and her eyebrows twitch up. “Derek Hale.”

“Lydia Martin,” Derek says, trying not to smile. She looks _good._

Lydia puts her hands on her hips. Allison comes to stand behind Lydia, curiously watching them. “You dick. Why did it take you so _goddamn_ long?”

Derek laughs now; he can’t help himself. Lydia slips out of her heels before she walks over. She wraps her arms around him; one of them sort of around Scott’s head. Then she settles into the bed beside Derek.

“Sorry about that, Miss Martin. Won’t happen again,” Derek murmurs.

“Good.” Lydia hooks her arm under his and pats her hand against him. “Please tell me that you know where Jackson is.”

Surprised that she’d ask, Derek nods. “Yeah, I do.”

Scott perks up at that, pulling away to get a better look at Derek. “You know where Jackson is?”

“Yeah, he’s doing well. I promised not to tell anyone where he is,” Derek says, glancing between Scott and Lydia. “But he’s happy. He’s safe. And he’s in therapy.”

“He’s okay,” Scott whispers. His eyes seem a little brighter when he adds, “Can you tell him I’m so sorry?”

“I don’t think he needs your apology, Scott. It wasn’t personal. He just needed to do what he had to for himself,” Derek quietly explains.

Scott nods, settling back down into Derek’s arm.

“Fuck,” Lydia hisses. She wipes at her eyes. “I swore I’d never cry over Jackson again. I’m happy to hear he’s okay.”

Allison and Isaac step into the bedroom.

“I don’t know what to do here,” Allison admits. “I’m very confused and conflicted and…”

“Join us,” Scott says. “Puppy pile.”

“I swear, if anyone crushes me, I _will_ not be happy,” Lydia says.

Isaac takes Allison’s hand and they settle on the end of the bed. Isaac says, “Why’d you come back, Derek?”

“Because,” he says, shrugging. “Pack is pack.”

“I kicked you out!” Scott whines.

“Oh my god, _enough_ with the pity party!” Lydia snaps. She leans forward to look at Scott. “Seriously, dude. The depression, I get. But the whining has _got_ to stop.”

“Way to kick a puppy when he’s down, Lydia,” Isaac says, shaking his head.

Derek looks down at Scott. A moment of silence passes before Scott sits upright. He looks at Derek, his expression serious. “Can you get me a name of a therapist?”

“Yeah,” Derek says, nodding. “Give me some time. But I’ll find someone for you. In the meantime, will you try to get out of bed? Eat. Spend some time with your pack.”

Scott takes a breath. He gives Derek a sharp nod. “I can try.”

“See, Scott, you didn’t ruin everything,” Lydia says. It takes everyone a moment to see that Lydia is teasing, and Scott grabs his pillow to throw at her. She laughs. “Hey! I’m trying to look on the bright side here!”

“Derek, are you back?” Allison asks. The question lingers in the air for longer than it should.

“I don’t know,” he answers honestly.

“Well,” Allison says, taking a deep breath. “I guess if this is the only chance I have, I would like to give you my deepest apologies for Kate. I know that there’s nothing that I could’ve done; I was too young to know anything. But she was still my blood, and I’m incredibly sorry about that. My father and I have been working _really_ hard on protecting those who cannot protect themselves.”

“Ally actually inspired my charity that I’m building with my mom,” Lydia says, pride in her voice. “It’s to help people who cannot help themselves. We’ll do things like help build homes for the homeless, help get people back on their feet, pay for lawyer fees, offer workshops and stuff on different topics.”

“That’s awesome, Lydia,” Derek says. He looks back at Allison. “Kate is not you. I know that. I mean, maybe, I held it against you and your father at the beginning but it was clear that you were not like your aunt.”

Allison nods. “Thank you, Derek.”

“I should go,” Derek murmurs. “I’ll let you know about the supernatural therapists, Scott. And it was…it was nice seeing the rest of you.”

Lydia climbs off the bed to let him out. She wraps her arms around him, holding him close. Quietly, she says, “Come back, Hale. We need you.”

He isn’t sure what to say to that, so he gently squeezes her before stepping away. He gives Isaac a fist-bump and they share a nod. Isaac knows they’re cool, and that’s all that matters. Allison gets up off the end of the bed. She holds out her hand for a handshake, but Derek pushes her hand away to hug.

“Oh!”

But then Allison wraps her arms around him and it’s good.

Derek makes eye contact with Scott before he leaves. “You’ll be okay.”

He leaves before anyone else can stop him. His emotions are running high and when he exits the apartment building, he’s relieved to see Boyd waiting for him outside his Camaro.

“C’mon, I’ll drive you home,” Boyd says, holding his hand out for the keys. Derek digs them out from his pocket.

They don’t talk as Boyd drives, and it’s not until the car is parked in Derek’s driveway that Boyd speaks. “You did a good thing today, Derek. I’m not sure that I could’ve done what you did.”

“What do you mean?”

“You offered Scott forgiveness when he really had no right asking for it,” Boyd says. “He kicked you out of the pack because you needed a break. That’s…that’s not okay. We would’ve understood if you didn’t want anything to do with him.”

“He was a scared kid,” Derek murmurs. “We were all scared. I don’t know why people expected me to be angry about it. I mean, sure, maybe I was for a month or so. But how am I supposed to fault Scott when he was just as scared as I was?”

Boyd smiles. “You matter more than you think you do.”

Derek blinks in surprise before turning to look at Boyd. “What do you mean?”

“Just what I said,” Boyd answers. “Do you want some company? Erica is itching to get over here, but I told her I’d ask.”

Derek looks at his house. It’s so big. And so empty with just him. “I could use the company, yeah.”

“She’s going to be so…fuck. She has no patience.”

“Huh?”

“Can’t you smell her? She’s here already.”

“I should really lock my doors…” Derek murmurs. “Shit. Don’t let me forget to send a locksmith over to McCall’s. I broke their door.”

Boyd laughs and hands Derek the keys back as they walk towards the house. When Derek pushes the door open, he takes a deep breath. “Erica, are those cookies?”

“Yep!” she calls back. “I figured I’d soften you up with cookies and then you’d be more likely to tell me _everything._ ”

Boyd and Derek share a look when they hear a car pull into the driveway. Boyd wraps an arm around Erica’s waist and kisses her. “Did you invite Stiles and Kira out too?”

“I did,” Erica admits. “But c’mon, Derek, are you not happy that they’re here?”

Derek laughs. “Yeah, okay. It’s nice to have people around. But the story isn’t going to be all that interesting.”

“We’re here!” Stiles calls out. “Did we miss anything?”

“Is someone baking cookies?”

Derek feels as though some knots in his chest are starting to loosen. _Finally._

 

 **☆** **☾** **☆**  

 

 

“You’re sure about this?” Jackson asks, eyeing Derek. “Like, you have no qualms about it?”

“I’m sure and I have no qualms,” Derek tells him. He reaches into the back of Erica and Boyd’s SUV to grab the first of Jackson’s suitcases. “It’ll be nice to have you around. Besides, I only have like twenty rooms for you to choose from.”

Jackson grins. “I’m choosing the one furthest from your room. If you and Stilinski get freaky, I want my earplugs to work.”

Derek laughs. “Stiles and I are only friends.”

“Really, dude?” Jackson shakes his head as they make their way up the steps. “That seems kind of dumb. I mean, aren’t things going really well?”

“Yes, and I’m not going to complicate them further,” Derek says. “You should let it go.”

“Alright, fine, but only because I want you to tell me everything about seeing Scott again. And Lydia? How is she?” Jackson asks.

They make their way up the stairs as Derek fills Jackson in. He makes a remark that Lydia was happy that Jackson was happy.

“Does she know I’m moving in with you?”

“No,” Derek answers. “Uh, actually, no one knows except Kira.”

“Oh. Oh my god, so I’m just going to be a massive surprise?” Jackson asks, looking over his shoulder at Derek. He pushes the door to the chosen bedroom open and smiles. “This is going to be fun. Can we have a surprise party? Except all the guests are surprised?”

“Uh,” Derek sighs. “I mean, if you _really_ wanted to, I guess.”

“Oh, _hell yeah._ ”

Derek shakes his head as he jogs back down the stairs. Three suitcases down. Now three more to go. He couldn’t have shipped his clothes like a normal person. Nope, he spent a shit ton of cash getting his clothes flown over with him. He even bought an extra seat on the plane to have the option for more luggage. _He’s nuts._ But Derek’s happy he’s around.

Things are looking up.

 

 **☆** **☾** **☆**  

 

“This is a terrible idea,” Kira murmurs under her breath.

“I know, but he was so excited,” Derek replies. He reaches across in front of her to take the bottle of wine. “What was I supposed to do? Deny him his moment in the spotlight? Have _you_ ever tried to deny Jackson some fun?”

Kira laughs. “No, I haven’t. Alright, is everyone here?”

“No,” Stiles answers, walking into the kitchen. “Scott isn’t here yet, and Lydia is having a hard time getting him to come. He’s still in the mindset that you don’t want him here and you hate him.”

Derek sighs, and shrugs. “Hey, when you’ve been thinking the same thing for six years, it’s kind of hard to shake that idea. I’ll call him.”

Kira gives Derek’s hand a quick squeeze before she makes her way into the living room with the rest of the guests. Stiles hesitates before he takes a seat at the island. “You okay, dude?”

“Yeah. It’s a little overwhelming having everyone here. I mean…” Derek shrugs. “It’s just a lot, you know? Um. Let me call Scott and then…”

“Take your time,” Stiles replies.

Derek steps out of the kitchen door and into the backyard. He has to call Scott three times before he finally picks up. “Dude, where are you?”

 _“Oh! Uhhh…Derek, are you really sure this is a good idea?”_ Scott asks.

“Yes. Now, c’mon. The guests are getting restless and I have, um, a surprise for you.” Derek rolls his eyes at the thought of Jackson’s grand entrance. He had used Alicia’s potion to mask his scent and is currently waiting upstairs for Derek to give him the signal. “It’s a good one. I think it’d be a shame if you missed out on it. But it’d be a bigger shame if Lydia misses out on it, to be honest.”

 _“What?”_ Scott says. There’s a moment and he goes, _“Wait, wait, is—”_

“Uh, I think we’re thinking of the same thing so I’m going to say yes,” Derek answers. “Please hurry. Lydia will kill you if she misses this.”

_“Okay, okay, we’re coming.”_

Derek laughs, they say goodbye, and he goes back into the kitchen. Stiles stares down at the beer in his hand. He looks up. “So?”

“They’re coming,” Derek says. He swallows. Stiles looks beautiful tonight. Especially sitting in his kitchen, drinking a beer, as if he belongs there. Derek walks towards Stiles with determination.

“Wha--?”

Derek cups Stiles’ face before he kisses him. It could be a huge mistake; Stiles might not even be into him anymore. But they’re kissing and it feels _so damn good._ Stiles runs his hands up Derek’s chest before tugging him closer. He spins on the stool so that he can wrap his legs around Derek’s.

“Mmm.”

Derek smiles into their next kiss. It’s slower this time, and possibly even better. Derek drags one of his hands through Stiles’ hair, resting it on the back of his neck. His fingertips gently play with his hair.

“What was that for?” Stiles asks, breathless, when they part.

“I missed kissing you,” Derek whispers. “I really missed it.”

Stiles looks up at him. His thoroughly kissed lips part. “I missed you too. And all of it. There’s never been anyone else quite like you, Derek. And…and I’m so glad we’re in each other’s lives again.”

“But?”

“But maybe let’s see where it takes us,” Stiles murmurs. He plays with the button of Derek’s shirt. “I don’t want to rush into anything and I don’t want to mess it up.”

“Okay.” Derek smiles. “But while we’re seeing where things take us, can I kiss you?”

Stiles laughs. “Oh yes. Please keep doing that.”

“Hey!” Kira says, entering the kitchen again. “What’s this?”

“Uhhh,” Derek says, but he doesn’t move away from Stiles. “This is you being nosy?”

Kira laughs. She makes her way towards the fridge and swings it open. “I am definitely being nosy. Erica made a comment and gagged at how cute y’all were being. I had to come see for myself. Plus, I needed to let you know that Tracy and Alicia have arrived. I want you to meet them, Derek.”

“Of course,” he says.

She straightens and holds up the bottle of wine she’d put in there earlier. Kira wiggles her eyebrows. “C’mon, you two, join the party.”

“Okay,” Derek says. His fingers slip into Stiles’ and they follow Kira into the living room. There are so many people, but it’s not so bad. He chats with Alicia and Tracy, and Kira’s right. He likes them a lot. They seem happy in love, and it makes him wonder if he and Stiles will ever get to that place. He hopes so. It had been fun the first time around.

“I’m sorry I’m late!” Scott calls out when he arrives with Lydia in tow.

Kira meets Derek’s eyes and he sends Jackson a text. _It’s time._

Derek greets Scott and Lydia with a quick hug. Quietly, he says, “Brace yourselves.”

“Brace ourselves?” Lydia asks, giving him a bewildered look. “What does that—oh no.”

“Hello everyone!” Jackson calls out from the stairs. His arms are in the air as if to showcase himself, and he has the biggest smile on his face. “Did y’all miss me?”

Allison gasps and comments to Isaac about how she’s gotten rusty. “How did I not see this coming?”

Lydia punches Derek’s arm. “You ass. You let him do this?”

Derek laughs.

“He’s so obnoxious,” Lydia mutters.

“I can hear you, you know,” Jackson calls out to her. He winks. “Did you miss me, Lyds? I missed you.”

“ _Ugh_ ,” Lydia says, but Derek can feel the happiness rolling off her in waves. She crosses the room to meet Jackson at the end of the stairs. “You are ridiculous. Was this your idea? Throw a big comeback party for yourself?”

“Yeah. Well, technically, Derek’s throwing it for me,” Jackson says. His voice grows quieter. “I’m sorry for leaving the way I did.”

Lydia huffs and spins on her heels. “I’m going to need more than that, Whittemore!”

“Come see me if you’re still alive when Lydia’s done with you!” Danny shouts.

Derek glances at Scott. “Were they dating when he left?”

“I didn’t think so,” Scott murmurs. “But you never know with them.”

“How are you doing?” Derek asks.

“Uh, better. I mean, not great. But not, like, horrible.” Scott sighs. “I don’t really know what I’m doing, but the therapist is helping, I think. If anything, it’s nice to get some stuff off my mind.”

Derek wraps an arm around Scott’s shoulders. “I’m proud of you.”

Scott beams at the words and quietly says, “Thanks, Derek. For being so…nice.”

“What are brothers for?” Derek asks.

Erica and Boyd walk up and the four of them start to chat. It’s nice, being here with his favourite people again. Not a whole lot of time passes before Laura and Cora show up. There’s a bunch of chatter as they greet their old friends. Laura gives Derek a kiss on the cheek and Cora punches him in the arm. He remarks that Lydia did the same thing, and Cora grins.

“Lydia is a woman who knows what’s up,” Cora says. “Where is she, anyway? Is Jackson still trailing after her like a lost puppy? I should save her…”

Derek lets her go.

“I’m going to go check on Jack, but it’s nice to see you with your family again, Derek.” Laura presses her lips to his cheek once more before trailing after Cora.

“Your sisters are a force of nature on their own,” Erica murmurs beside Derek.

“You’re one to talk,” Derek points out.

Erica laughs. “Thank you. I’m going to go play beer pong with the girls, but…I’m happy for you.”

Derek’s pretty sure nothing can tear the smile off his face now. Scott settles on the floor between Allison and Isaac, who seem happy to have their boyfriend out and about again. It's a good, solid step in the right direction.

Kira and Malia are whispering quietly by the entrance to the hallway. He only catches a bit of their conversation, but Malia tells Kira that she’s done playing games. _“Do you like me or do you not? Because I want to date you, Kira.”_

Kira meets Derek’s eyes for a split second and the smile on her face says everything. He mouths, “You’ve got this.”

He doesn’t listen to her response; not that it matters, because the next thing that he sees are the two of them kissing. Boyd steps up beside him, clasps his shoulder tightly, and then wanders off towards Erica at the table set up for beer pong with Tracy, Alicia, and Hayden. Liam hovers beside Hayden, whispering something in her ear. She laughs.

Derek hadn’t expected Danny to show up, but they’d had a moment earlier in the evening. Now, Danny is talking to Mason, and they seem content.

“You did this.”

He turns to see Stiles standing beside him. “I didn’t do anything.”

“Yeah, you did. You brought everyone together. You always do,” Stiles tells him. He slips his hand into Derek’s. “It’s your superpower.”

Derek’s lips twitch up. “I’d argue but I think that’s a great superpower to have.”

“Mmm,” Stiles says, nodding. “Do you still _really_ think that my superpower is not knowing when to shut up?”

Derek laughs. “When did I ever say that?”

“Uh, when I was in grade eleven and you were the senior who was too good for me!” Stiles says. He bumps Derek’s hip with his own. “How do you not remember that? I was fucking stoked that you were talking to me and—”

“Talking to you? It sounds like I was insulting you!”

“Yeah, but whatever. The infamous Derek Hale was acknowledging my existence. It was _everything_ back then,” Stiles says, laughing. “You really have no idea the kind of power you have over me, do you?”

Derek shakes his head, amused. He squeezes Stiles’ hand. “You are ridiculous. And if I said that was your superpower, it’s probably because you wouldn’t stop talking in Mr. Harris’ class and you _know_ he hated everyone.”

“Yeah, I know. That landed us in detention together.” Stiles pauses. “Do you really not remember this?”

Derek laughs. “Nah, I remember. How could I not? You left such a lasting impression on me.”

Stiles beams.

And at that moment, Derek knows that everything will be okay. They’ll figure it out together. His family has finally come home.

 

 **☆** **☾** **☆**  

 

 

“Are you two officially dating yet?” Kira asks.

“Are you and Malia officially dating yet?” Derek counters as he settles on the couch beside her.

“Yeah,” Kira says, a smile growing on her face. “Turns out she _really_ likes me.”

“I’m happy for you,” Derek tells her. “And I’m pretty sure Stiles is my boyfriend.”

“Things are looking up,” Kira says.

Derek can’t argue with that. She hits play on Netflix and then…

“Oh my god, you totally watched some episodes without me!” Kira accuses.

“Whoops.”

A thought occurs to Derek as Kira flips back to the last episode they watched together... with everyone coming and going from the Hale House these days, he's going to have to pick up more peppers.

 

 **☆** **☾** **☆**  

 

**Author's Note:**

> ... I know I posted a Berica fic the other day and said that I was only stopping by to say hi from the ashes. I _know_ this but this idea got stuck in my head and I couldn't let it go and then it took a life on its own.
> 
> So hi.
> 
> I might be rising from the ashes. I have no idea but I've written 22.8k in 48 hours for a fandom that I'm no longer in, so make of that what you will. (And I'm not even doing Nano!)


End file.
